KINDERGARTEN
LANGUAGE ARTS:
In Kindergarten, students further their phonetic, comprehension, fluency, grammar, and writing skills. Students begin the year reviewing consonants, short vowel sounds, and forming word families. By the end of the year, students will have mastered the Kindergarten phonics program including long vowel patterns, consonant digraphs, blends, and various other phonics skills. They will also leave Kindergarten knowing the 92 Dolch Pre-Primer and Primer sight words. Students build reading and writing foundational skills such as decoding text through picture books, read-alouds, independent reading time, and story writing. Guided reading groups allow teachers to meet students where they are in their literacy development and progress in reading levels. Students will also be introduced to story elements through a variety of fiction and nonfiction books while learning the process of re-telling and summarizing. Kindergarten provides a solid foundation in order for students to be successful readers and writers.
MATH:
The Kindergarten math curriculum allows students to work on daily routines such as calendar concepts, number sense, and counting. Students develop number sense through the use of manipulatives and a variety of activities, drawings, and strategies. By the end of Kindergarten, students will have mastered counting beyond 130, skip counting by twos, fives, and tens, and place value in the ones, tens, and hundreds. Students begin to form addition and subtraction equations, fact families, and number comparisons using greater than, less than, and equal to. Kindergarten students also learn the attributes of two and three dimensional shapes and begin the basic understanding of counting and exchanging coins. Making applications of real word scenarios are learned through measurement, graphing data, and time using digital and analog clocks. Teacher modeling, hands-on activities, and independent practice allows students to leave Kindergarten with a fundamental knowledge and love for math.
SCIENCE:
Kindergarten focuses on science with an experimental and research approach. Studying units on living and non-living things, Earth and sky, weather, and matter, students are able to formulate questions, conduct experiments, and learn through a variety of technology and books. During the school-wide Human Body Fair, Kindergarten discusses the parts and importance of the central nervous system. Throughout the year, students will build their scientific curiosity, grow their ability to observe and ask questions, and gain skills to design and test their theories.
SOCIAL STUDIES:
During social studies, Kindergarten students explore how individuals belong to a community through the classroom, school, neighborhoods, state, and country. Students discuss holidays, presidents, and monuments through the use of nonfiction books and educational videos. Kindergarten also studies the similarities and differences of our country and world’s past and present. Students discover the history of Pilgrims, Native Americans, and the first settlement by participating in a special Thanksgiving feast. Through interactive lessons and projects, Kindergarten students study and create their connections to the world.
SPANISH:
Spanish in Primary School is done as a hands-on approach. Later on, students will continue to develop vocabulary and pronunciation skills and an understanding of the target cultures through hands-on and culturally stimulating ways.
TECHNOLOGY:
Primary School technology classes focus on development of fine motor skills with use of the mouse and basic keyboard. Websites are utilized to reinforce classroom lessons. Beginning lessons in digital safety focus on staying on websites approved by teachers or parents.
ART:
Kindergarten and first grade students will begin to learn about the elements of art: lines, shapes, colors, space, value, form, and texture. They will discover secondary and neutral colors and how to use them in creating art. Students will also begin to use patterns.
MUSIC:
The Sullins model for music education is built upon each student progressing in their knowledge per annum. Kindergarten students at Sullins are introduced to music through beat (steady beat), voice (whisper, talk, shout), rhythm (discovering the difference between beat and rhythm), pitch, patterns, introduction to instruments, dynamics, duration, and listening.
As their year at Sullins progresses, students will learn to sing in tune and on pitch with more consistency, learn to demonstrate a steady beat with more consistency, identify and read rhythmic notation, coordinate movement with music in the form of dances, more complex circle games, and creative movement.
Students will sing in tune and on pitch with more consistency, will demonstrate a steady beat with more consistency at different tempo, and will learn to sing and play simple two-part songs. Students will also be introduced to the concept of harmony and will learn to identify the following musical symbols: staff, treble clef, bar line, measure, double bar line, repeat sign, quarter note, quarter rest, half note, half rest.
The children will coordinate movement with music in the form of more complex dances, circle games, and creative movement.
LIBRARY:
Kindergarten children continue to explore the library through checking out books for personal enjoyment as well as choosing a leveled selection that allows them to practice their reading skills. Kindergarten students continue to participate in discussions about the books that are read, focusing on the elements of a story.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION:
Primary School curriculum focuses on movement, balance, depth perception, and spatial awareness. These skills are taught through age appropriate obstacle courses and tag games. Hand-eye coordination are practiced through throwing and catching games.